Indian Marsh Crocodile spotted in Powai area of Mumbai

The Indian Marsh Crocodile is an important species in maintaining the ecological balance in its habitat, playing a critical role as a top predator.

An Indian Marsh Crocodile was spotted in the Powai area of Mumbai late on Sunday night.

Also known as the Mugger Crocodile, the Indian Marsh Crocodile, is found across the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, as well as parts of Iran. It thrives in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes, and can also adapt to man-made reservoirs. Unlike the saltwater crocodile, the mugger avoids saline habitats.

The reptile is native to the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar and some parts of Iran. It is commonly found in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes, hill streams, village ponds and human-made reservoirs.At one point, mugger crocodiles used to be ubiquitous throughout the subcontinent, but over time, their populations have dwindled due to habitat destruction, hunting, and loss of prey base, human encroachment and increasing conflict situations.

The Indian Marsh Crocodile is an important species in maintaining the ecological balance in its habitat, playing a critical role as a top predator.